Ownership & Rights
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The Copyright Act (Cap. 63) and its subsidiary legislation form the legislation governing copyright law in Singapore.
The latest legislation updates can be viewed here.
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Copies of the legislation are available at
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Generally, the person who created the work (i.e. the author) owns the copyright in the work. However, there are exceptions to this general rule. Some exceptions are:
Employment: If the work is created by an employee pursuant to the terms of his employment, the employer owns the copyright in the work.
Special situation for newspaper/magazine/periodical employees: Where an employee of a newspaper, magazine or periodical creates a literary, dramatic or artistic work pursuant to the terms of his employment and for the purpose of publication in a newspaper, magazine or periodical, the proprietor of the newspaper, magazine or periodical owns the copyright in respect of publication in or reproduction for the purpose of publication in any newspaper, magazine or periodical. The employee owns the remaining rights that make up the copyright bundle of exclusive rights.
Commissioning: If a portrait/photograph/engraving is commissioned by another party, the commissioner owns the copyright in the work. If the portrait/photograph/engraving is required for a particular purpose, this purpose must be communicated to the commissioned party. While the commissioner is the copyright owner, the commissioned party has the right to stop others from doing any act comprised in the copyright, unless such act is done for the particular purpose for which the portrait/photograph/engraving is created.
For other types of commissioned works, ownership belongs to the commissioned party, unless the commissioner and commissioned party otherwise agree.
As mentioned in the introduction, the copyright owner may transfer his rights to another party or entity either partially or wholly.
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Authors enjoy the exclusive rights to:
- reproduce the work;
- publish the work;
- perform the work in public;
- communicate the work to the public; and
- make an adaptation of the work.
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Artists enjoy the exclusive right to:
- reproduce the work;
- publish the work; and
- communicate the work to the public.
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The publisher has the exclusive right to make a reproduction of the edition.
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The producer of a sound recording enjoys the exclusive rights to:
- make a copy of the sound recording;
- rent out the sound recording;
- publish the sound recording if it is unpublished; and
- make available to the public a sound recording by means or as part of a digital audio transmission.*
* Where the sound recording is made available to the public through a non-interactive digital audio transmission, the producer of the recording need only be compensated by an equitable remuneration.
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The producer of a film enjoys the exclusive rights to:
- make a copy of the film;
- cause the film to be seen in public; and
- communicate the broadcast to the public.
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The broadcaster enjoys the exclusive rights to:
- make a recording of the broadcast;
- rebroadcast;
- communicate the broadcast to the public; and
- cause the broadcast to be seen or heard by a paying audience.
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The producer of the cable programme enjoys the exclusive rights to:
- make a recording of the cable programme;
- rebroadcast;
- communicate the cable programme to the public; and
- cause the cable programme to be seen or heard by a paying audience.
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The performer has the right to authorise the following uses:
- allow the performance to be seen and heard, or seen or heard, live in public;
- make a direct or indirect sound recording of his live performance;
- make available a recording of the performance to the public in such a way that the recording may be accessed by any person from a place and at a time chosen by him;
- distribute or sell or import for distribution or sale such recordings;
- publish a recording of a performance (if not previously published); and
- communicate the live performance to the public (including broadcast, internet dissemination and inclusion of the performance in a cable programme).
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"Communicate" means to transmit by electronic means a work or other subject matter, whether or not it is sent in response to a request, and includes:
- broadcasting;
- inclusion in a cable programme; and
- the making available of the work or other subject matter in such a way that the work or subject matter may be accessed by any person from a place and at a time chosen by him (e.g. access over the internet).
The duration varies according to the type of copyright work concerned.
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70 years from the end of the year in which the author died.
If the work is published after the death of the author, it lasts for 70 years, from the end of the year in which the work was first published. |
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25 years from the end of the year in which the edition was first published. |
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70 years from the end of the year of release of the sound recording or film. |
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50 years from the end of the year of making the broadcast or cable programme. |
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70 years from the end of the year of the performance. |
Consent is needed to do anything that only the copyright owner has the exclusive right to do (e.g. reproduce the work). Sometimes, consent is indicated in the terms of permitted use, e.g. "for Private Use Only". Otherwise, one should seek consent. Merely acknowledging the source when one uses the work is insufficient.
To obtain consent from copyright owners, one may:
- contact the copyright owners directly and negotiate for a licence to use the copyright material; or
- obtain a licence through a collective management organisation.
A collective management organisation is an organisation that administers the rights of a group of copyright owners. It can grant consent for use of the works of its members under specific conditions. The following are collective management organisations in Singapore:
- Composers and Authors Society of Singapore Ltd
- The Copyright Licensing and Administration Society of Singapore Ltd
- Music Publishers (S) Ltd
- Recording Industry Performance Singapore Pte Ltd
- InnoForm Entertainment Pte Ltd
For more information, please refer to Seeking Permission from Collective Management Organisations.
Not all IP Associations are collective management organisations (that administer licences). The following are IP Associations that represent the interests of copyright owners. Generally they are non-profit, non-government bodies engaging in the promotional, educational and trade-related activities on behalf of their members:
- Business Software Alliance
- International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers
- International Federation of the Phonographic Industry
- Recording Industry Association (Singapore)
- The Motion Picture Association
For more details, please refer to Industry IP Groups.
Some copyright owners across jurisdictions have adopted licences provided by Creative Commons (CC).
CC is a non-profit organisation that provides licences and tools to allow owners of copyright material to designate the conditions (or “attributes”) under which their material may be used worldwide.
CC licences are not an alternative to copyright. In fact, they apply existing copyright law.
Users of CC licensed material are permitted to use the material without the need to further seek explicit permission from the owner, so long as the use conforms to the licence attributes.
Material released under a CC licence is not necessarily in the "public domain", as the licensor using a CC licence does not have to give up all rights to his/her material.
CC licences are offered to the public at no charge and no registration is required to use a CC licence.
More information on CC licences can be found here.
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